We All Fall Down
by alder3049
Summary: Mr. Forkle lied about Sophie's parents. The truth was just too painful. But when she uncovers a chest in Edaline's office, the whole story comes tumbling out. She's supposed to fight Keefe Sencen-and win. But as she gets to know him, she realized she might be falling in love. And as the song goes, soon enough, everything will all. Fall. Down. *FYI Sophie never knew Keefe*
1. I Feel Empty Without You (Prologue)

**Yaaaayyy, more KOTLC fanfiction that I shouldn't be working on! But, between you guys and me, I just don't know if that sequel is going to work. I've gone through 36 drafts. 36. And none of them seem to be working. But I'll be updating this one frequently.**

"No."

The small, blonde woman in the wrinkled silver uniform clutched her stomach and looked up at her overbearing leader.

"I don't want you to have her."

Mr. Forkle sighed. "Miss Ruewen, it's not a matter of _want._ We _need_ an embryo, one that's already fertilized. The Lodestar Initiative's child has already been born and is in full health. And besides, you will never be able to take care of a child on your own in your current state. It will make it easier for everyone, including you, if you let us use your baby."

"And let my daughter have to fight for survival over Keefe Sencen?"

"No. We won't let him, at least, touch her."

Jolie's reservations were beginning to fall. "How?"

"A simple operation. Physic will take care of it. We could do it now, if you wanted."

"And she'll be safe?"

"Completely. I have already bought the house next to the humans we've chosen. I will watch over her completely."

"Fine."

Mr. Forkle smiled. "I had a feeling you'd want to help the greater good."

Jolie interrupted. "Her father is Brant."

"Does he know?"

"Yes."

Mr. Forkle frowned. "Complications may arise, but I have a feeling everything will be fine. Unless Brant is, excuse me if I'm wrong, a part of the Neverseen?"

"Of course not."  
"Well then, there won't be a problem. And out of curiosity, have you picked out a name?"

"Silvaya Eliie Ruewen. But she'll need a human name, won't she?"

"Definitely. How about…" He scratched his chin in thought.

"Sophie Elizabeth Foster?"

"It's relatively close."

"Well, then. Follow me. Physic moved up here."

"I don't know if we'll see her again."

Brant hugged his fiancée. "It's okay. She'll be okay. And one day, she'll come back to us."

Jolie wiped her streaming eyes. "Thank you." She gave a shaky laugh. "I'm okay now. I guess I should get back to Foxfire."

"Goodbye, then."

He kissed the top of her head, and then she was gone.

But she _wasn't_ okay. Silvie gone now, being tweaked on a sterile table. She'd seen the charts. The Black Swan didn't know what they were doing, really. She knew she was going to die soon. Something had gone wrong with the operation. Physic had said so herself. But she couldn't very well tell Brant that, could she? And she would be _so_ much younger than the Sencen boy, who was already born. Instead of sleeping, Jolie sat up that night, writing for her beloved Silvaya.

 _You won't know me_

 _But I love you._

 _You will never meet me, but_

 _I love you with all my heart._

 _I feel empty without you._

 _But it will never be your fault._

 _You'll grow up as 'Project Moonlark' or 'the moonlark' or 'Sophie'_

 _But in my head you will always be_

 _Silvaya. Silvie._

 _I feel lucky to have known you_

 _Even if I never got to meet you_

 _Because you will do great things, Silvaya._

 _Your father Brant doesn't think the Black Swan can make you special,_

 _But I disagree._

 _Because you are made to fight Keefe Sencen._

 _Your talents will save the word._

 _Because you are my sweet,_

 _My darling,_

 _My precious,_

 _Silvaya_

 _Eliie_

 _Ruewen._

 _My sweet,_

 _My darling,_

 _My precious_

 _Sophie_

 _Elizabeth_

 _Foster._

She put it in a box.

A box filled with love.

A box that was forgotten with time.

Left for years in Jolie's closet

And then moved

To Edaline's office.

Dusty.

Dirty.

Shoved in the very back.

Until one day

Sophie

Elizabeth

Foster

Found it.


	2. Ring Around The Rosy (Sophie)

**Why, hellooo! I'm really sorry I haven't updated in a while, it was the last day of school and all this crazy stuff, and then friends came to visit. Just saying, chapter 3 will probably be in Keefe's point of view.**

"Mooooooom?" Sophie Foster sat on the floor in Edaline's office, amid the boxes of _stuff._ It was most definitely the Place Where Things Go To Die, not helped by the dust that covered almost every surface or the dry mustiness the whole room seemed to reek of. "What's this?"

Edaline came over from the scrolls she had been sorting, leaning over Sophie's shoulder. "I don't know," she said. "Looks like it's Jolie's. Feel free to poke around. And hey, do you want some lunch?" Sophie nodded enthusiastically, and Edaline laughed. "Lunch it is. Tell me if you find anything important, okay?" She kissed her adopted daughter's forehead, and stepped out of the room, leaving Sophie to it.

The box seemed to be full of papers: letters, notes, what looked like lyrics to songs, journal entries. Right on the top was a thin purple notebook, which Sophie leafed through. It seemed to be nothing but harmless day-to-day activities, until one entry near the back.

 _Brant and I did it._

 _Hooked up._

 _Slept together._

 _And now…_

 _Well._

 _Mr. Forkle says she should be used for Project Moonlark._

 _But I've met the Sencens._

 _They'll raise him to be strong._

 _I can't do that._

 _But I will love her._

 _I will love you._

 _Sophie Elizabeth Foster, one day I will meet you._

 _And I hope when I do, that I will be able to surmount the tide_

 _And finally have you again._

 _Jolie Ruewen, Silver Tower, Eternalia_

Sophie dropped the letter, hands shaking.

 _No._

Mr. Forkle had promised! He had promised that Jolie couldn't be her mother. And when he had made that promise, he had told her that he _would_ tell her her real parents.

And _Brant?_

Brant. Brant was so unstable, so crazy, so hungry for flame. He didn't care if he hurt Sophie. Could a father really act that way toward their own daughter? But…he was broken. Did that change anything? Because this changed everything. Sophie leafed through the trunk, becoming slightly more horrified with each new discovery. Pregnancy checkups, ultrasounds, journal entries. An adoption form saying Mr. Forkle was her legal guardian. And at the very bottom, slightly crumpled, several poems on a piece of lavender paper. **(A/N, this first poem was in chapter 1, so…yeah, it's the very same)**

 _You won't know me_

 _But I love you._

 _You will never meet me, but_

 _I love you with all my heart._

 _I feel empty without you._

 _But it will never be your fault._

 _You'll grow up as 'Project Moonlark' or 'the moonlark' or 'Sophie'_

 _But in my head you will always be_

 _Silvaya. Silvie._

 _I feel lucky to have known you_

 _Even if I never got to meet you_

 _Because you will do great things, Silvaya._

 _Your father Brant doesn't think the Black Swan can make you special,_

 _But I disagree._

 _Because you are made to fight Keefe Sencen._

 _Your talents will save the word._

 _Because you are my sweet,_

 _My darling,_

 _My precious,_

 _Silvaya_

 _Eliie_

 _Ruewen._

 _My sweet,_

 _My darling,_

 _My precious_

 _Sophie_

 _Elizabeth_

 _Foster._

 _Silvaya. Her name was Silvaya._ Sophie rolled the word on her tongue, sending them out into the empty room. "Silvaya. Silvaya. Silvaya Eliie." They sounded similar to her own name, and there was something just—right about the warmth she felt in their ring. But there were two more poems.

 _Sing, Swan, spring, Swan._

 _Then let's fly._

 _Follow the pretty bird across the sky._

 _Call swan, fall, swan,_

 _Then let's rest._

 _Tucked in the branches of your quiet_

 _Nest._

And there was one more. It was a game Sophie had played countless times in the human world, but on their own, the words seemed haunting, dramatic—a plague nursery rhyme drawn out by a dead elf who shouldn't know anything about it.

 _Ring around the rosy_

 _A pocket full of posies_

 _Ashes_

 _Ashes_

 _We all_

 _Fall_

 _Down._

Something was scrawled on the bottom of the page in different coloured ink. The writing was messy and faded, especially hard to see in the dwindling light, but Sophie could make out the one word.

 _Candleshade._

And suddenly, everything was ripped away and thrown into a memory.

 _A skyscraper of a house, towering over the Pures around it, on the edge of the ocean. The water was roiling, whitecaps crashing against the bluffs the house was set on. Inside, two people were arguing. Brant and Lady Gisela faced off against each other in the cold front entry, fists clenched, words bouncing off the silver walls._

 _"_ _I don't care how strong he is, the Moonlark is designed to be stronger!" Brant's voice was raised to a yell on the last words._

 _"_ _Keep it down, Keefe is sleeping," Lady Gisela nearly growled. "There's really not much we could do, is there? He was already born! And he has at least two talents and a photographic memory, and he's smart enough to be a year ahead at Foxfire when he gets there. But, I've heard rumors. Isn't the Moonlark yours?"_

 _Brant scuffed his toe on the ground. "Yes. But that doesn't change anything. Don't believe I won't go hard on her. She had to be taken care of. And I'll be the first one there, ready to throttle her little perfect neck."_

 _Lady Gisela grinned, berry lips parting. "It's not going to change anything? I heard how distraught you were when Jolie died. You didn't want to raise your own daughter? I've heard Silvaya looks just like her mother. Will you be able to handle it?"_

 _Brant's cheeks reddened. "That was my decision, not yours, and I will be able to follow through. I'll meet with you tomorrow, Gisela."_

The memory turned on its side and rushed up several flights of stairs to a room painted blue.

 _"_ _Goodnight, Keefe." Lord Cassius kissed his son's forehead and covered him in the thick gray blankets. "The world you grow up in won't be nearly as safe as mine." He wound a little music box and set it next to the infant's crib, where it slowly plunked out a tinny tune. Cassius smiled at the little boy in the crib and sat down in the chair next, softly singing the words until Keefe's eyes drooped closed and his soft snores filled the room._

 _"_ _Ring around the rosy._

 _A pocket full of posies._

 _Ashes._

 _Ashes._

 _We all_

 _Fall_

 _Down."_

Sophie was forced back into the real world too soon and too fast. A plate of green leafy-looking vegetables Edaline had conjured had gone cold, but she was more worried about the memory. Something had clicked.

Sophie raced up the steps to the Leapmaster. Standing under the crystals, trying not to vomit at the news she had just realized, she called out a place name she had never before used.

"Candleshade!"

 **Please R &R! Also, I realized that ring around the rosy is a plague song through EXTENSIVE research *sarcasm* all you have to do is look up "ring around the rosy lyrics" and hit Images. It means, 'red rash around the mouth. Flowers in pockets to ward off the stench of dying bodies. Ashes flying through the air from the mass burnings. Everyone will die eventually.' Creepy much? But I had an idea about it. DID YOU REALLY THINK I WAS GOING TO TELL YOU? It'll probably come up in chapter 5 or 6.**

 **Love,**

 **Alder3049**


	3. A Meeting With The Moonlark (Keefe)

**Hello hello hello! It's only like 6 hours since I updated, but I HAD THE NEED. And I want this to be a 50-someodd chapter story, so It's gotta be updated fast and furious. Ok, not so much furious. I'm actually feeling pretty chill right now.**

Keefe Sencen sat in his bedroom, across the girl on his bed, who looked like she was trying not to cry. He'd heard of her of course; two levels down in Foxfire, the new girl from a few years back. The one with the Wanderling. Friends with the Vackers and Dex Dizznee, had an offsetting friendship with Marella Redek. And he'd seen her every so often, and couldn't say she wasn't cute: longish, dirty-blonde hair, berry lips, pale skin, and the rumored brown eyes. _Those eyes._ They were like pools of chocolate, with flecks of amber and gold, dripping with warmth, a kaleidoscope of honey and cocoa. And right now, that girl was glaring at him.

" _You're_ Keefe Sencen?"

The question caught him off guard; he'd assumed she'd known who he was before randomly leaping to his house and demanding to talk privately with him.

"Um, yeah. And you are?"

"Soph—um, Silvaya. Silvaya Ruewen."

"Ruewen? Um, as far as I knew, Edaline and Grady only had one daughter. Are there Ruewens I haven't heard about?"

The girl—or, _Silvaya,_ cursed under her breath.

"It doesn't matter. Do you know anything about Project Moonlark? Or, should I say, the Lodestar Initiative?" Keefe tensed at the words. _How does she know about that?_

Silvaya stood up. "Are you hiding something? Is there something you know?"

Keefe tried to keep a straight face. "God, no. Why would I lie? It's not like you're some random stranger claiming to be a Ruewen that's trying to find out something about a top secret—" _Great going, Keefe._

Silvaya smirked. "So you _do_ know something. Care to share?"

Keefe reddened. The way she was trying to worm stuff out of him was infuriating, yet cute. "I don't—"

"Yes, you do. Actually, wait. First, do you know anything about this?"

She got up, cleared her throat a few times, and then sang a tune that was haunting and creepy. And that—unfortunately—Keefe had heard many times.

 _"_ _Ring around the rosy._

 _A pocket full of posies._

 _Ashes._

 _Ashes._

 _We all_

 _Fall_

 _Down."_

She sat back down, spreading her red tunic over her lap. Keefe cleared his throat. "Um, yeah, I guess I've heard it. My dad used to sing it when I went to sleep. I haven't heard it in years, though. And it's a human song, so it wouldn't have anything to do with anything happening here."

"Yes, it does. And it's kind of ironic that you know it, all things considered. Although I should have suspected. Alright. That's not the information I needed. What else do you know?"

 _Uurrghh._ "Fine. The Lodestar Initiative is a plan set up by the Neverseen that's parallel with Project Moonlark, and I'm the Lodestar." _She couldn't have actually understood any of that, could she?_

But Silvaya had paled. "Oh, no. Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no. _Seriously?_ "  
"What?" Keefe came to sit next to her on the bed.

"It's—you have to fight the Moonlark, don't you?"

"No, I—" _Why lie? It seems like she knows everything._ "Um, yeah, I guess That's what I've been told. But, what, um…?"  
Silvaya had started pacing. "Why did I do this?"

Keefe cracked a smile. "You tell me."

She flopped down on the bed. "Okay. I'm—I'm not Silvaya Ruewen. Or at least, I'm not anymore—though I want to be again, at some point. My name is Sophie Foster."

"Um, and why do I need to know this?"

"I'm the Moonlark, Keefe."

There was something about her saying his name that made a tiny dragon inside his chest roar with pleasure.

"But, that's not fair. I'm over a year older than you—"

"Only a year? I thought you were in Level Six." **A/n:** **Yeah, Sophie's a Level 4.**

"Skipped Level One. _Not_ a big deal right now." For some reason, he could feel her emotions without touching her, and right now, there was a whole lot of dread—mixed with a fair splash of panic.

"Ugh, I don't know what to _do._ Why is this so hard?"

"I've heard about the Moonlark. Rumor has it, you got sent out into the humans to survive for twelve years. But, then again, _why_ should I believe you?"

She gritted her teeth. "Because I need to do this. _We_ need to do this."

The apprehension he could feel was increased twentyfold when she gripped his hand, pulling out a Home Crystal—mixed with what seemed like a flutter of embarrassment to be holding his hand. And another flutter of what seemed to be—if he could find a word for it at all—the very beginnings of a _crush._

 _Oh, no. That's so not going to happen right now._

He pushed it out of his mind, hoping it was imagined as she held the crystal to the light.

 _I'm seriously letting a stranger—albeit, a cute one—leap me anywhere she wants to go?_

Indeed he was.

And, if he was being serious, she was pretty. Extremely pretty. In fact, he'd heard Della Vacker say 'exotic.'

And cute when she was worried.

 _But is that ground to let her go anywhere she wants with me?_

Apparently, it was.

His mom was totally going to kill him.

Even if she was harmless, she now knew pretty much everything he knew about the Lodestar Initiative.

But for some reason, he felt like he had to trust her.

So he forgot his troubles

And how dangerous this was

And how much trouble he would be in

And let her pull him into the light.

 **More chapters, more chapters, more chapters! I WANT TO SKIP TO A PART WHERE THEY LOVE EACH OTHER SO BAD BUT NO ONE WOULD UNDERSTAND EXCEPT ME! Urgh. Can't I just send people my plotline telepathically?**

 **We'll see.**

 **Please R &R!**

 **Love,**

 **Alder3049**


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